Dishaholics anonymous

[Femme1]

Hi, I'm Deb and I'm a dishaholic. For a long time, I collected dishes with no rhyme or reason and just bought anything I happened to like. I've gotten a little more selective now, mostly because of a lack of storage space. I have a few sets of mid-century dinnerware that I add to little by little. First, my most complete set which I use as everyday dishes are Salem China Co's Biscayne--it has a blue and yellow leaf design. (I'm going to have to figure out how to add photos to posts). I still find this everywhere and have found tons of go-alongs, such as glassware and oven ware (Fire-King, I think); it must have been a really popular item!

I also collect Franciscan Starburst, but rarely find any in thrift shops anymore. I used to, though! I think my favorite pattern is Eva Zeisel's Hallcraft Fantasy; it's just such a gorgeous classic mid-century design. (I can't believe I came across some the other day, and didn't buy it because it wasn't the Fantasy pattern!) And I have a pretty good set of Ben Seibel's Iroquois Autumn Harvest.

It doesn't stop there, though. If I ever see anything remotely atomic-looking (like North Star) and it's cheap, I buy it, so I have a ton of odds and ends, but they all work together. For a while a few years ago, when E-bay first started up, I sold the pieces that I found but couldn't use. Back then I'd run across Russell Wright quite a bit, and made a little chunk of change selling a bunch of Russell Wright melmac I found. And if I found a good cookie jar I'd buy it to resell on E-bay. I haven't done that for a while now, and I also don't go thrifting quite as much!

I have a decent collection of ball pitchers, all different makers; and I also have a ton of teapots, all solid colors dating from the 40s to the mid-60s.

Collecting can be a kind of mania, for me, anyway. I'm thinking about getting rid of my 50s and 60s risque comedy albums (Knockers Up, anyone??) that I used to collect.

Jeez! I didn't mean to write a novel about this...but I could go on. From reading posts, I know there are other dishaholics out there...wanna join me in a meeting?

[valleythriftshopper]

One thing you become knowlegable about when you thrift on a frequent basis is dishes, there's always alot of them!  I sell alot of my thrift stuff on Ebay, because I live near several thrifts and go in just about every day.  I don't see so much that I personally collect, but can't resist buying & selling something I know someone else wants.  The Salvation Army around the corner used to sell boxed sets for good prices.  I sold many of those including Denby, Stangl, & Noritake, Blue Danube.  I came across a Midwinter Turkey plate that is pretty rare, not super valuable, but a good find.  I guess that pattern was featured on Antiques Roadshow once.  Collectible mugs can sometimes be as valuable as fine china, also airline china, railroad china, restaurantware- the list goes on.  Very easy to get buried in dishes!  I wish I could find less fragile to sell though, they are a pain in the butt to ship!

[valleythriftshopper]

Also I forgot to add I did see a little Harlequin ball creamer pitcher for I think .50 or 1 dollar not long ago.  It has a chip on the lip so i skipped it, but then regretted that and went back, but it was gone.  It wasn't valuable, but I never see harlequin at the trhifts, which is surprising as those pieces are not marked & I would think people would donate it.  I would love to find the syrup pitcher!

[ChrisMiss]

I too am a dishaholic, though I'm in recovery.  I'm always on the lookout for pieces that I think may sell good on ebay.  I've had so much fun selling on ebay.  Every morning first thing I have to check my auctions, do I have new bids, how much is my auction up to, etc.?  I like the buying and reselling but totally agree packing and shipping is no fun especially dishes.

[foutchie]

I too collect dishes - have dishes from depression glass thru the 60s era - and could probably feed 60-70 people without washing a dish!   cabinets are crammed, some are stored, guess I need to clear out a little!

[Krisathome]

So when is the first meeting of dishaholics anonymous?   

I mostly have Corelle/Corning but I do have some Blue Ridge, Noritake, LuRay Pastels, and several other kinds.

I've always loved dishes but I didn't really started collecting seriously until I had been working at a thrift store for a few months.  I don't think very many people appreciate the beauty of dishware like we dishaholics do.  I'd see wonderful sets of dishes sit on the shelves for months in my store so I decided to start buying them.  I just couldn't resist anymore.     Silly people didn't know what they were missing. 

[moonie]

I think I need an intervention.  How's this for "making my life unmanagable".  I'm enjoying Christmas at my husband's grandmother's home Christmas day.  It's coffee time.  I end up rooting through her STUFFED cabinets and emerging with one of her many Royal Blue Heaven cups.  I was coveting an elderly woman's dishes!  She has a ton!  I tried to pretend that I just couldn't find a cup, but in reality I was casing the joint!

My name is Moonie and I'm a dishaholic.....

[Jay2TheRescue]

I think I need an intervention.  How's this for "making my life unmanagable".  I'm enjoying Christmas at my husband's grandmother's home Christmas day.  It's coffee time.  I end up rooting through her STUFFED cabinets and emerging with one of her many Royal Blue Heaven cups.  I was coveting an elderly woman's dishes!  She has a ton!  I tried to pretend that I just couldn't find a cup, but in reality I was casing the joint!

My name is Moonie and I'm a dishaholic.....

I have done the same...  now that my Grandfather is dead I'm thinking I probably could take the striped PYREX mixing bowls out of his kitchen cabinet and my uncle would probably never miss them as he doesn't cook.  Is that bad or what??  I'm coveting a dead man's dishes.  Well, I guess I covet the dead man's car too, but my uncle would notice if that wasn't in the garage - even though he doesn't drive.

-Jay

[SecondhandSophisticate]

Jay, you always make me laugh

The car might be a problem for you to get, but maybe you could ask your uncle for the bowls? If he's not using them, you could offer to "take them off his hands", maybe?

Moonie, you weren't coveting, you were merely admiring, right ?

[Jay2TheRescue]

Jay, you always make me laugh

The car might be a problem for you to get, but maybe you could ask your uncle for the bowls? If he's not using them, you could offer to "take them off his hands", maybe?

Moonie, you weren't coveting, you were merely admiring, right ?

The car is really cool.  Its an '06 Mercury Grand Marquis with only 6,000 miles on it.  I don't need the car as I already have 3 cars, 2 of which I really don't drive often.  (The 1981 Buick and the 1986 Chevy Silverado)  I'm sure some day the car will be mine.  By that time it will probably be an antique with 30,000 miles on it.  I make a point to take it out and get the oil changed every time I am down in Florida, so the oil is changed at least once a year.

-Jay

-Jay

[alexandra]

... and it's hard when your spouse doesn't understand.  After all, when one already owns two silver plated cream and sugar pieces, why might they need another set in Harvest Grape milkglass? 

I scored this wonderful little pair for a buck a piece.  Just because I had to have it.  I am dishaholic too... the rest of you are enablers.  Jenn is probably sharing in the karma of this latest find -- she's the first one I thought of when I saw it, and was the angel/devil on my shoulder whispering "BUY IT!!!"

Thriftily,
Alexandra
www.livingwithoutmoney.blogspot.com

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

Well, Alexandra, you did so WELL on your harvest grape pieces, that I WOULD have cheered you on, for sure. I'm always happy to enable in the right direction!

(PS-- both the angel and the devil on my shoulder seem to collude when it comes to bargains on things I collect... hahahaha)

[genuineimitation]

my name is genuineimitation, and i'd like to introduce myself as a dishaholic...

holymoley! where was i when this thread was started?? (easy answer: checking out the dishes at the thrift store.) I was JUST thinking i need to get rid of some MORE dishes.. especially the teapots, since i can't use them all, and i really like to be able to use my stuff. one thing is, i don't like to keep most of my dishes just hanging around - they have to be durable enough to actually use. i do have a few exceptions, like the green on green sake set from the 50's that i got at an estate sale. it is so tiny and beautiful - i just like to make googoo eyes at it - i don't even drink sake. and most of my orange collection is for looking at - there aren't that many and they are mostly old. and if i find any russell wright i keep that aside.

anyway, yes, i'm a dishaholic too, but i have some pretty stringent rules that i try to keep so i don't go absolutely overboard (and my husband notices we have no storage space!)

which reminds me - i was i the discovery shop yesterday and they had these really cool frankoma mugs that were just bizarre looking. they were very thin, but tall for their size - must have been for hot alcohol. they said "collectible" on them and the price was $5 each! i wanted them for their weird/dated appearance, but since they were so much and of no real value to my life i passed. maybe i'm not such a dishaholic after all..

[Femme1]

Glad you stopped in for the meeting, GenuineI! Here in my office, I have two different Frankoma mugs that I found for cheap at a thrift. I don't collect it and I don't know much about it, but they were just so cute and funky that I snatched them up for tea time.

For a while I had a rule that I would not add to my dinnerware collections from E-Bay---that I had to actually find the pieces in a thrift shop. But alas, the days of easy pickings seem to be over. So I have succumbed to the computer. It's funny, though, I get SO much more satisfaction from finding the occasional piece of Iroquois Harvest Time or Salem Biscayne.

My husband used to have a standard joke about me years ago when I was really hot on collecting. He'd say I never came home from a thriftshop/yard sale/estate auction without at least one plate and one chair.    But he even admits that I have had some pretty good finds.

[genuineimitation]

..ok, i've fallen off the abstinence wagon and i just started:

just went to my thrift store that's run by volunteers, so is only open a few days each week. (i was having so much fun listening to the grandma-ladies telling each other stories and laughing at themselves..) they had 10 beautiful ironstone soup bowls - huge soup bowls - for 50 cents each! they aren't in my colors, but they reminded me so much of my grandmother, i snapped them up. they looked like perfect "tomato soup and cheese sandwich" bowls..

so, now that i have soup service for 10.. next meeting is at my house!